complement fixation
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Definition
- Noun:
- An immune response: A specific biological reaction within the immune system.
- Inactivation of a complement: The process where an antigen-antibody complex binds to and consumes a complement protein, rendering it unavailable for other immune reactions.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- The laboratory test detected the disease through complement fixation.
- A positive complement fixation result indicates a current or past infection.
Advanced Usage
- "complement-fixation test": A diagnostic test that uses the principle of complement fixation to detect the presence of specific antibodies or antigens.
- The Wassermann test is a classic complement-fixation test for syphilis.
Variants and Related Words
- Complement (n): A group of proteins in blood serum that aids the immune response.
- Fix (v): To make stable or permanent; in this context, to bind and inactivate.
- Fixation (n): The process of being fixed.
Synonyms
- Immune complex reaction: A reaction involving antigen-antibody complexes.
- Serological reaction: A reaction detected in blood serum.
Related Phrases
- To fix complement: The action of an antigen-antibody complex binding and consuming complement.
- These antibodies can fix complement, leading to cell lysis.
Related Idioms
(This term is highly technical and specific to immunology; it is not commonly used in idiomatic expressions.)
Noun
- an immune response in which an antigen-antibody combination inactivates a complement (so it is unavailable to participate in a second antigen-antibody combination)